Last night, Delmon flipped a bat at an umpire after being called out on strikes and being ejected from the game. Today, he made an apology for his actions. It is a true apology and not merely an expression of regret, a back-handed insult of the umpire, or revisionistic expression of misunderstanding.

"I sincerely regret my actions in the game yesterday," Young said in a statement released by the office of his agent, Arn Tellem. "Regrettably, in the heat of the competition my emotions got the better of me.

"My behavior was completely unacceptable. I want everyone to know that I recognize that it is never right to throw a bat and I certainly never intended for the bat to make contact with the umpire. Nevertheless, I owe an apology to my team, the fans and most importantly to the umpire, for the incident. I am sorry."

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Mr. Young, I applaud you for apologizing and taking responsibility for your actions. You've already taken the first step toward redemption. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our politicians and other public officials could learn from Young?

Update 4/28/06 - Here is the video of Young flipping his bat at the umpire. I don't want to sound like I'm defending Young--I'm not. I am making a point about apologies. On the surface, it seems that Young is truly apologetic. I hope he is. What he did was truly indefensible.